Lonsdale Gallery will be closed over the long weekend, Aug. 1–5, reopening on Wednesday, Aug. 6th. Our vibrant summer exhibition, Burden of Proof, is on view until Aug. 10.
BURDEN OF PROOF
Opening Reception 6 – 9 pm Wednesday, June 18
On view to the public in the main gallery June 19 – August 10
Curated by Jessica Butler
To earn the title of fine art, an object must be proven by its owner to be wholly useless… or so say the art aficionados employed by American Customs. Craft, on the other hand, is generously defined as an object of function as well as contemplation. A cheeky, off-kilter use of materials blurs the boundaries of art and craft in Burden of Proof, raising the question “who really gets to define a work of art or craft? Is it the artist, curator, viewer or US Border Security?”
Guest curator Jessica Butler brings together three artists to explore the cross-pollination of textiles and fine art. Immersive thread installations by Amanda McCavour (represented by Lonsdale Gallery) anchor this exhibition. Work by invited artists explores the intersection of high art and textile (craft), which is evident in the ties between choice of material and method. Robert Davidovitz weaves piped acrylic into paintings of digital design program icons, while Elisabeth Picard’s fibre background translates into dyed architectural compositions.
The works in this exhibition defiantly straddle the line between fine art and craft. This is perhaps best illustrated by weaving techniques that eventually resolve into complex, architectural matrices. Each object, though stylistically and materially diverse, possesses a rhythm: through simple repetitious actions, the artists intuitively create self-supporting objects. These structures, which are at once fine art and craft, allow a new interpretation of culture, tradition and technology to emerge.
Robert Davidovitz
The work of Toronto based painter Robert Davidovitz weaves dried strips of acrylic paint, pushing his medium to its perceivable limits. Through intricate designs that reference digital design icons from programs such as AutoCAD, he explores structure as well as both digital and physical space.
Interdisciplinary artist Amanda McCavour is represented by Lonsdale Gallery and is a recent MFA Graduate from Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art. McCavour’s delicate thread drawings amass into immersive installations that contravene the vulnerability of her chosen material: thread.
Elisabeth Picard
Based in Montreal, mixed media artist Elisabeth Picard transforms common items such as zip ties and mesh fencing into complex structures through patterning and repetition. Picard renders delicate objects from heavy-duty materials, often using colour to imbue them with a rarity and unique liveliness reminiscent of marine life.
UPPER GALLERY: Rotating Group Exhibition
On view June 19 – August 10
